After The Procedure

After a face-lift, you may experience:

• Mild to moderate pain
• Drainage from the incisions
• Swelling, Bruising and Numbness

Contact your doctor immediately if you have:

• Severe pain on one side of your face or neck within 24 hours of surgery, Shortness of breath or chest pain
• Irregular heartbeats

Your incisions will likely be covered with bandages that provide gentle pressure to minimize swelling and bruising. A small tube might be placed under the skin behind one or both of your ears to drain any excess blood or fluid. In the first few days after surgery:

• Rest with your head elevated
• Take pain medication as recommended by your doctor
• Apply cool packs to the face to ease pain and reduce swelling

Follow-up Appointments

You will have several follow-up appointments scheduled during the next two months after surgery. They will include the following:

• The day after surgery, your surgeon will likely remove your drainage tube, apply antibiotic ointment to your incisions and place new bandages on your face.
• Two to three days after your face-lift, you may be able to switch from wearing bandages to wearing an elasticized facial sling.
• About a week after surgery, your doctor will remove your stitches and assess the wound.

Subsequent visits will likely be scheduled to monitor your progress.

Self-Care

Self-care at home during the first three weeks will help your recovery and minimize the risk of complications:

• Follow wound care instructions as directed by your surgeon.
• Do not pick at crusting scabs that develop on your wound.
• Follow instructions on when you can begin using shampoo and soaps and what kinds you can use.
• Wear clothes that fasten in the front (rather than clothes that are pulled over the head).
• Avoid excessive pressure or motion on and around the incisions.
• Avoid using makeup.
• Avoid vigorous or aerobic activity or sports.
• Avoid direct sun exposure to the incision for three weeks and use a sunscreen of SPF 30 or higher thereafter.
• Avoid coloring, bleaching or perming hair for at least six weeks.

In the weeks after a face-lift, you might style your hair to hide any remaining signs of the incision. You may also choose to delay attending major social events for a couple of months, when you are likely to feel back to normal.

Results

A face-lift can give your face and neck a more youthful appearance. Face-lift results are not permanent. With age, the facial skin may begin to droop again. In general, a face-lift can be expected to last 10 years.